Several immigrant drywall workers, some illegal, say they were never paid for their work, by their employer Salvador Blanco, last Summer at a Reston Town Center project.
 

Illegal immigrant drywall workers, Flor and her husband, Juan Carlos filed a complaint with the Federal Department of Labor, but after questions regarding their legal status, they decided to go a different route to get compensated for their month's worth of work.

"We came here to work, and we expect to get paid for it," Flor said.

After carpenters union officials alerted the contractors and property owner, Boston Properties, of the problem, the workers eventually received compensation totaling about $35,000, not from Blanco but from C.J. Coakley Co., the subcontractor that hired Blanco, and Hitt Construction , the general contractor. "[Labor brokers] are cheating the system and have repealed every benefit we've fought hard for, workers' compensation, Social Security," said Del. Cheryl Glenn, D-Baltimore, who has introduced legislation in Annapolis, Md., to crack down on the brokers. 

The President of C.J. Coakley, Douglas Ayers, said he was unaware of Blanco's hiring practices, and added he rarely uses labor brokers. He said he's planning to sue Blanco for restitution.

Flor has since become wary of working for labor brokers, although oftentimes, she says, they're the only avenue to finding a job.

 
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Information from: The Examiner